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Saying 'Thank You' Increases Email Response Rates

Emails that close with a variation of "thank you" have a jump in response rates when compared to alternative email endings, according to a recent study by Boomerang.

The email marketing company analyzed the email signoffs of more than 350,000
email threads to evaluate whether email closings correlated with variations in response rates.

Eight phrases dominated the field as the most popular email sendoffs, according to
Boomerang. In order of descending popularity, the most popular email closings were “thanks,” “regards,” “cheers,” “best regards,” “thanks in
advance,” “thank you,” “best” and “kind regards.”

Emails closings that expressed gratitude averaged a higher response rate, with “thanks in
advance” generating the highest email engagement with a 65.7% response rate. “Thanks” followed with a 63% response rate, while “thank you” garnered a 57.9% response rate,
according to the study. The five remaining email closings generated an average response rate ranging from 51.2% to 54.4%, while the baseline study result was an average response rate of 47.5%.

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“While 'thank you' is a seemingly basic courtesy, it's a powerful sentiment that humanizes communication,” says Vivek Sharma, CEO of Movable Ink. “It especially stands out in
email marketing because many marketers are focused so much on response rates and deliverability that they forget they are selling to other humans. Remembering the simple touches that show the
recipient respect can make all the difference.”

“Everybody likes to be appreciated, and a ‘thank you’ does just that,” agrees Ivy Shtereva, director of marketing
for Yes Lifecycle Marketing. “Whether we're sending a message to a coworker, friend or consumer, our communication is likely to be a lot more effective if we expressed gratitude for the
recipient's time.”

Shtereva says there is plenty of opportunity for marketers to express their thankfulness to their subscribers beyond the signoff of promotional campaigns, and cites
email personalization and lifecycle messaging as examples.

“These types of campaigns can include welcome messages, happy birthday greetings, loyalty updates, anniversary
emails and more,” says Shtereva. “A simple 'thanks' at the bottom of a brand's email might get lost in the bulk of the thread, but personalized content always
shows consumers appreciation because it communicates that a brand knows who they are and honors the history between them, especially if personalization is based on past purchases,
preference center settings and demographic information.”

Email personalization is especially critical considering the high volume of emails in the inbox, says Shtereva.

“Customers want to feel appreciated, especially when they’re scrolling through hundreds of emails per day,” she says. “That's why personalized messages triggered by
customer behavior and demographic information are so effective.”